PVMI Varieties Available
All potato breeding selections, referred to as clones, go through a strenuous evaluation process before they are released as varieties. This process can take as many as 15 years and involves hundreds of tests. Tens of thousands of inferior selections are eliminated in the process, leaving only the best clones. Advanced clones have a high probability of being released as new varieties. These clones are evaluated by growers and users and require industry acceptance as part of the process prior to release. The Tri-State breeding program works closely with the industry and growers to evaluate all aspects of each advanced clone using a system of Material Transfer Agreements, referred to as MTAs. These allow for growers to get advanced lines, test them under field circumstances and allow for enough quantity to be built up so evaluations of processing traits can be considered under actual plant conditions. This stage of grower evaluation is conducted over several years while the advanced clone is still part of the Western Regional Trials.
Russets
| Variety | Marketing Qualities |
| Alpine Russet | Alpine Russet (A9305-10) is a high yielding, medium to late maturing cultivar with oblong tubers, light russet skin and good processing quality following long-term storage. |
| Alturas | Alturas (A82360-7) is used primarily for processing, with its light russeting limiting its use for fresh-pack; however, it has been rated highly for its culinary quality. It is notable for its high yields and solids, and coldsweetening resistance. |
| Blazer Russet | Blazer Russet (A8893-1) is an early-maturing, dual-purpose variety that has found a niche within the processing industry as a replacement for Shepody. Its attractive appearance and excellent culinary qualities also make it a good candidate for fresh pack. |
| Classic Russet | Classic Russet (A95109-1) is an early-maturing, russeted clone that produces a high percentage of U.S. No. 1 tubers. Its attractive tubers make it very suitable for use by the fresh-pack industry and could also be used as an early processor. |
| Clearwater Russet | Clearwater Russet (AOA95154-1) is medium-late maturing, with oblong-long tubers that have medium-russet skin. Tubers exhibit excellent fry color out of storage and their attractiveness make this variety suitable for both processing and fresh market usage. |
| Defender | Defender (A90586-11) is high yielding, lightly russeted, suitable for processing into French fries and other frozen potato products directly from the field or from short term storage. Defender may also be used for fresh markets. |
| Gem Russet | Gem Russet (A8495-1) is a medium to late maturing, medium to high yielding variety with long tuber type and medium russet skin. It is useful for both the fresh and processing markets |
| GemStar Russet | GemStar Russet (A9014-2) is a dual purpose variety suitable for processing and fresh-pack usage. It has high U.S. No. 1 yields with very attractive tubers having few external defects and higher concentrations of Vitamin C and protein than other potato cultivars. |
| Highland Russet | Highland Russet (A9045-7) is a mid to late season variety notable for its high yield of uniform, oblong-long, lightly russetted tubers. Shows good potential for the processing market, although its light skin may limit its acceptance on the fresh market. |
| Klamath Russet | Klamath Russet (AO85165-1) is a late-maturing, high-yielding, blocky, russet-skinned variety suitable for fresh market. |
| Owyhee Russet | Owyhee Russet (AO96160-3) is a medium to late maturing selection from Oregon with medium yields and long, medium heavily russetted tubers. An attractive tuber with high counts of US No.1. |
| Premier Russet | Premier Russet (A93157-6LS) tastes good and makes a fine looking tuber. It is a mid to late season variety notable for its high yield of oblong-long medium russeted tubers. |
| Sage Russet | Sage Russet (AO96164-1) is currently in the process of being released. It has a medium-early maturity and produces long, somewhat flattened tubers with medium russeting. |
| Summit Russet | Summit Russet (A84118-3) has late maturity and high yield of U.S. No. 1 potatoes. Superior tuber quality and has shown good performance for both French fry processing and table stock market characteristics. |
| Wallowa Russet | Wallowa Russet (A087277-6) is a medium to high-yielding percentage of U.S. No. 1’s, excellent processing quality, few internal and external defects, adaptable to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. |
Specialty
| Variety | Marketing Qualities |
| AmaRosa | AmaRosa (POR01PG22-1) will be released in 2010. A mid season long red fleshed fingerling for the fresh market with very high culinary quality. |
| IdaRose | IdaRose (A82705-1R) is a medium to late maturing selection with bright red skin and round tuber type for the fresh market. It is high yielding, has excellent eye appeal, and good culinary quality. It has long dormancy. |
| Ivory Crisp | Ivory Crisp (NDO1496-1) is an early chipping variety with high specific gravity and medium to high yield. It has good cold chipping potential and long-term storage capability. |
| Mazama (NDO2686-6R) is an early maturing clone with oval, bright red skinned tubers suitable for table use and the red-skinned creamer market. Uniformly bright red skin color that does not fade in storage and has shallow eyes. | |
| Modoc (NDO4300-1R) is an early maturing, round to oval, red skinned clone suitable for fresh market use. Tubers are a uniform bright skin color that does not fade in storage and has shallow eye depth. | |
| Purple Pelisse | Purple Pelisse (POR01PG16-1) is a mid season specialty potato with purple skin and dark purple flesh. An excellent tasting colored fingerling, high in antioxidants, ideal for fresh fingerling market with few tuber defects. |
| Red Sunset | Red Sunset (AO93487-2R) produces high marketable yield with excellent fresh market quality. This bright red skinned, mid to early maturing variety also has high Vitamin C content. |
| TerraRosa | TerraRosa (POR01PG20-12) will be released in 2010. A mid season specialty potato with red skin and red flesh. Unique among commercially available varieties for the oblong tubers have very high culinary quality. |
| Willamette (AO91812-1) is a high yielding round white variety with excellent chipping qualities. | |
| Winema | Winema (NDO2438-6R) is an early maturing, round to oval, red-skinned clone suitable for table use. Tubers are a uniform bright skin color that does not fade in storage and has shallow eyes. |
| Yukon Gem | Yukon Gem (NDA5507-3Y) is a mid-season selection with light-yellow flesh and higher yield potential than Yukon Gold (its paternal parent). It produces round to oval, light yellow skin with pink splash around the eyes. The eyes are intermediate in depth and number and are evenly distributed. |
PVMI, the Potato Variety Management Institute, is a non-profit, grower controlled company responsible for promoting and administering the new potato varieties out of the Tri-State Breeding Program (Idaho, Oregon and Washington). In order to grow any of the newly released (or existing) PVMI varieties (see table at the end of the article), a sub-license needs to be in place. In order to grow any of the advanced clones for field evaluation an MTA must be in place. If you are not a current PVMI licensee a participation fee (equivalent to the annual license) is required in addition to the MTA. License fees are dependent on the location of the seed grower. For more information please see Getting Started, or call PVMI at (541) 318-1485.
Tri-State Varieties Not Administered by PVMI
| Variety | Marketing Qualities |
| Umatilla Russet | Umatilla Russet (AO82611-7) a moderately late maturing variety especially suitable for processing and fresh market use. |
| Western Russet | Western Russet (A7961-1) is a multi-purpose variety that produces medium to high yields of oblong tubers with medium russet skin suitable for processing and fresh market use with higher concentrations of Vitamin C than Russet Burbank. |